The US Air force has requested $5.8 billion to build 1000 to 2000 XQ-58A Valkyrie fighter jet companion drones over the next five years. They can cruise at 550 mph and fly at up to 45,000 feet altitude with a range of 3,000 nautical miles. The NY Times reported each Valkyrie will cost between $3 …
The F22 has been operational for nearly 20 years, but the “greatest fighter ever” has only ever shot down the chinese spy balloon. The F22 reputation is from technical specifications and wargame combat. It was made operational in 2005 and was used in combat against ISIS in 2014. It has a good top speed (mach …
The B21 next generation stealth bomber is only a few months behind schedule for a 2023 first test flight. This means we are about 4 to 16 weeks away from the first test flight. The prototype B21’s have already had engines turned on and runway taxi tests performed. The white B-21 is using the latest …
Jet Zero won the US Air Force $235 million blended wing demonstrator contract. Jet Zero will build a full scale demonstrator by the first quarter of 2027. The prototype will be aimed at demonstrating at least a 30%-plus improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered Boeing KC-46, and a 30% increase …
GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney are in the prototyping phase for the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) engine which will power the next generation air domination fighter (NGAD 6th generation figher). They both participated in the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) meant for the F-35 and are instead bringing that engine technology over to …
US Navy is planning to lay the keel for the first next-generation Frigate in August 2023. The USS Constellation is the first of twenty planned FFG-62 (was called FFGX) frigates. The U.S. Navy procured the first FFG 62 in FY2020, the next was awarded in April 2021, and the third is planned to be awarded …
The US Navy DDG(X) program wants next-generation guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) to replace the Navy’s Ticonderoga (CG-47) class Aegis cruisers and older Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) class Aegis destroyers. The US Navy plans to start buying the first DDG(X) in FY2032. The Navy’s proposed FY2024 budget requests $187.4 million in research and development funding for the program. …
There is now large-scale use small drones in warfare and there is now a rapid pace of improvement. The massive and effective military use of drones has been proven in the Ukraine war. The most effective countermeasure is electronic jamming. DARPA has large request for bids for swarms of autonomous drones. Autonomous Multi-domain Adaptive Swarms-of-Swarms …
The General Dynamics Land Systems Abrams X is a main battle tank for the next generation, featuring reduced weight for improved mobility and transportability and delivering the same tactical range as the M1A2 Abrams with 50% less fuel consumption. The AbramsX’s hybrid power pack supports the U.S. Army’s climate and electrification strategies, enhances silent watch …
Lockheed Martin has delivered a tactically-relevant electric 300 kW-class laser to the US Army. This laser will be put onto a heavy military truck. It is the most powerful laser that Lockheed Martin has produced to date. This 300 kW-class laser is ready to integrate with the DOD demonstration efforts including the U.S. Army’s Indirect …
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are vital for the military for precision warfare but GPS can be jammed by military opponents. DARPA has announced the Robust Optical Clock Network (ROCkN) program, which aims to create optical atomic clocks with low size, weight, and power (SWaP) that yield timing accuracy and holdover better than GPS atomic clocks …